Israel heading for a very fragile coalition

TEHRAN,Feb.2(MNA)--Israel’s parliamentary election ended recently with an unprecedented deadlock between parties with very different approaches to major issues. This will force badly weakened Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to include more moderate parties in his coalition government. Such a scenario will definitely lead to a change in Israel’s policy to major regional and international issues, including the Mideast peace process and Iran’s nuclear program. The results of the election and the reduced turnout were also major developments that showed how much the settlers and Arab Israelis are disappointed with their government’s extremist foreign policies and its failure to respond to internal economic problems. This social frustration was clearly visible before and during the election as various parts of the community, including pilots, physicians, and nurses, boycotted the election to express their dissatisfaction over the increasing security and economic problems. Regional developments also played a role in the Israeli election. Over the past two years, the awakened Muslim population in the Arab world has relentlessly called for all ties with Israel to be cut, and this has seriously weakened Israel’s position in the region. In addition, the morale of regional resistance groups has been boosted due to their battles with Israel, and Hamas’ recent victory against the Zionists in Gaza was another factor behind the low turnout in the election. Over the past few years, there has been continuous friction between Israel’s major parties, most notably Kadima and Likud. This created the opportunity for other parties to gain more public support. Netanyahu’s hard-line bloc, Likud-Beitenu, has now been forced to negotiate with center-left parties, such as Yesh Atid (There is a Future), which emerged as the second-largest party in the election. Netanyahu should accept Yesh Atid’s calls for reform, especially in regard to the economy and foreign policy, otherwise his coalition will be in trouble and he might face more serious political problems. There is even a possibility that Netanyahu will not be able to form a government, and this would give the opposition a chance to marginalize the hard-liners and start a new chapter in Israeli politics. Hassan Lasjerdi is a political analyst and an expert on Middle Eastern politics based in Tehran. (By Hassan Lasjerdi )